ABSTRACT
There has been an increasing emphasis in fan literature on the overlap between online and ‘face-to-face’ music scene participation (see Atkinson and Wilson 2005; Hodkinson 2007; Robards and Bennett 2011), with the consensus being that subcultural behaviour is continuous across the ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ spaces of fandom, no matter how contentious these terms may be (see Sterne 2003, 2006). Typically, online spaces are used to reaffirm collective scene values, reinforce individual fan identities and facilitate face-to-face integration. This is consistent with the analysis of the Irish metal scene that is presented in this chapter. However, I focus on the high level of conflict and the ferocity of unrestrained exchanges that take place online in the batt le for subcultural capital (see Thornton 1995).
